Swiss

Yves Rossy (born 27 August 1959) is a Swiss pilot and aviation enthusiast. He is known as the inventor of an individual jet pack which uses carbon-fiber wings for flight.

Developmental flights

2008, Rossy made a flight over the Alps Mountain Range

November 2009, Rossy attempted a crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar, hoping to be the first person to fly between two continents using a jetpack. Rossy was forced to ditch into the sea; picked up (ten minutes later) by his support helicopter

5 November 2010, Rossy flew a new version of his jet-powered flight system and successfully performed two aerial loops before landing via parachute

Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range solar-powered aircraft project. It is led by Swiss psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard, who co-piloted the first balloon to circle the world non-stop, and Swiss businessman André Borschberg. The privately financed project hopes to achieve the first circumnavigation of the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power.

Planned circumnavigation flight

The flight is expected to circle the world in the northern hemisphere; the closest it will get to the equator will be a flyby of Honolulu at 21.3° N. Five stops are planned to allow changes of pilots. Each leg of the flight will last three to four days, limited by the physiology of each pilot.